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This is what you get when you ask TED attendees what were their secrets for success. The list that results isn't so bad, but it's a fiction - had they been honest they would have answered with their real secrets for success: contacts at Yale, income from phreaking, management-level position at Daddy's company, a large start-up loan from Aunt Mae, and the like. But this is TED, so the message is, if you haven't succeeded, it's your own fault. Here, then, is a list of the eight flaws you have. Personally, I think it would be more useful to redefine success. We can still keep the same values, but stop attributing them to people who have not earned them.

So I wanted to copy an image file to the iPad because there was no way to print it out and I needed to present an invitation at the door to the reception. Easy, right? Not if you're using Apple. Eventually, I found the answer - you have to open iTunes, click on the iPad from the list at left, click on the 'Apps' tab at the top of the screen, and scroll down where you'll see the 'file transfer' section. None of the native apps actually support file transfer, but some apps you can download (like Terra, a browser you can use to replace Safari) will. To view your uploaded file, use file:///whatever.ext (yes, I know you can also email the file, but this means you have to be online, which doesn't work if you've lost your login credentials, which I had).

Google has come up with a clever way to make Chrome available to those using locked-down institutionally-mandated versions of Internet Explorer. "The new version runs a helper process in the background that sits quietly, consumes few system resources, and loads the Chrome Frame plugin into Internet Explorer every time you open it." The extension has been around since 2009; the new release can be installed without administrator privileges. I clicked on the installer link using Firefox (because I like to be difficult) and it downloaded and then sort of vanished. Trying it with IE the add-on installed, but I couldn't detect any difference. The add-on support ranges "from a faster Javascript engine, to support for current web technologies like HTML5's offline capabilities and canvas, to modern CSS/Layout handling." Related: if you want to use Facebook at work woithout being caught, consider Excellbook, which makes Facebook look like a spreadsheet. Today: Total:4
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Why would you want your own streaming media server? Well, as you use more computers (your mobile phone, your television, your desktop, your pad, etc.) it becomes more and more inconvenient to manage your media lbrary (as an example, I spent an hour last night transferring my digital music to a portable USB drive so my music is available on my computer at work - my iPod, of course, simply refused to transfer the music). With a streaming meida server, I keep my media in one place, and access it from any of my devices. While it's still ahead of most people, this article talks about what you need in order to set up your own personal media server. Not too much, as it turns out. Or, you could buy one preconfigured. Eventually, everyone will have their own personal media server, which in time will also become their own personal web server. Today: Total:4
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This is pretty neat - do your searching through YouTube, save the videos, and sit back and watch them later, at your leisure. "Radbox works through a simple bookmarklet that you click whenever you're on a page with a video you want to save. The basic compatibility list reads 'YouTube, Vimeo, Metacafe, DailyMotion, CollegeHumor, Hulu, Blip.tv, Megavideo, TED, etc.'" Today: Total:14
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Should I sell my photos? Flickr now offers this option on its photo site. I could sell commercial license through Getty Images. That doesn't change the Creative Commons non-commercial license already on the site. But maybe my photos could generate a little revenue. Well, OK, maybe not. But is there any argument against this? Today: Total:6
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I've noticed some websites adding annoying extra content when you copy and paste from the post. The extra text is produced by a company called Tynt. I don't know why people thought it would be a good idea. Anyhow, this post describes how to block Tynt and disable copy-paste hijacking. See also Tynt, the Copy/Paste Jerks, from daring Fireball. Today: Total:4
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We're not there yet, partially because of costs, and partially because of ISP policies, but the home server is a technology to expect in the future. This article highlights five major home server configurations. Today: Total:6
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I did this in university, to get myself to attend classes. I'd put a big X on the calendar for each class I attended. In the fourth year, when attendance really became important, I managed to get myself to attend two thirds of my classes. I guess that's why I'm not Jerry Seinfeld. On the other hand, this is true: "Daily action builds habits. It gives you practice and will make you an expert in a short time." That's the secret to OLDaily. And I guess, in my own way, I have my series of Xs on the wall for OLDaily, tool. Today: Total:4
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Something to keep handy, should I free up some coding time. "The people at Rietta Solutions have posted a tutorial for beginners who want to create their own Firefox extension. The tutorial has been constructed as a step-by-step guide providing many examples." Today: Total:2
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Google launched an RSS feed reader last week to wide - and generally negative - publicity in the blogging community. Not because people questioned whether the world needed another feed reader, much less one by Google (though there was that undercurrent), but more because people found the interface less user-friendly than most of Google's previous work. Some writers reported having trouble uploading their OPML (a format that lists their subscriptions) from Bloglines; mine mostly uploaded, but it wasn't problem-free. Others commented on the clicking you have to to - the 'next' button is really in the wrong place (upper left, and it says 'Down' - it's like web-surfing with crossed hands. As the article linked here shows, you can blog items you find interesting (if you can find the tiny drop-down in the upper right). It requires, of course, a Google account - which is why I linked to a story about it rather than straight in; unless you have an account it just punts you to a login. Today: Total:4
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